U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty sits with Kevin Dong and Emily Troll, two students in the CT Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) summer design program at Danbury High School, in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. CPEP students are spending the summer developing and designing mobile apps.

Ana Campos, left, and Emily Troll work on their teamís mobile app, part of the CT Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) summer design program at Danbury High School, in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. CPEP students are spending the summer developing and designing mobile apps.

Sunchet Saoji, right, Rahul Malayappan, center, and Andrew Montero, background, are part of the CT Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) summer design program at Danbury High School, in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. CPEP students are spending the summer developing and designing mobile apps.

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty speaks to students in the CT Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) summer design program at Danbury High School, in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. The students are spending the summer developing and designing mobile apps.

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty speaks to students in the CT Pre-Engineering Program (CPEP) summer design program at Danbury High School, in Danbury, Conn. July 2, 2014. The students are spending the summer developing and designing mobile apps. Esty is seen here with CPEP CEO Bruce Dixon.

DANBURY -- Danbury High School students have the chance to become technology engineers during a state summer mobile app designing project.

The pilot project for the CT Pre-Engineering Program is to stimulate students' knowledge and aptitude for science, technology, engineering and math.

U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., visited the school Wednesday to learn more about the program and congratulate the students on creating their mobile apps.

"I found this program to really help with my interest in computer science because we are the core programmers," student Anjali Pai said.

The mobile apps are meant to have a practical use. Alexandra Prendergast, Sameena Shaffeeullah, and Pai created a medical mobile app to remind users to take medications and use them correctly.

"Everything has technology. There is not a single job out there that doesn't use technology," said Kristin Violette, a technology specialist for the program. "I believe it is important to be the creators of technology, not just the users, and that's what we want our students to do."

The initiative has after-school and summer programs in 40 middle and high schools across the state. The Danbury program has 18 students who devise a concept and then code and market the apps.

"We have been able to develop an app and actually put it out on the market," Prendergast said. "A lot of kids our age don't get that opportunity ever."

Bruce Dixon, the chief executive officer of the pre-engineering program, said he hopes that by the end of the five weeks, students will have had real-world experiences to use when entering the job market.

"As I've visited schools and talked to educators across our district, I've heard again and again that we need to support (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education to make sure our students are prepared for the jobs of the 21st century," Esty said. "Programs like CPEP allow students to be innovative and creative in a hands-on setting."

Esty has been involved with initiatives that bring science and technology education to Connecticut and has introduced the STEM Jobs Act to boost support for teacher preparation programs.

"We want to make sure we develop in our students what we want our adults to be," Violette said. "So it's important to get our students engaged here and stay here and invest in the state they were brought up in."

This kind of program enlightens and prepares students for careers in engineering or high-skilled manufacturing, Dixon said.

"I never really considered engineering until now, but I have actually this year developed a great interest in computer science, especially in programing," Pai said.

Connecticut is ranked 14th in high-tech jobs in the country and 22nd in entrepreneurial activity, according to the Kaufmann Foundation New Economy 2010 Report.

The U.S. Department of Labor projects the need for STEM jobs will continue to grow by 17 percent.